Life At Big Sky Mountain

posole garnished with cilantro and served with mini sopaipillas

Unfortunately I’ve been really behind in blogging lately, we’ve had some family issues to deal with that I will talk about at a later date, but today I hear a little girl talking to her mom about sopaipillas and tortillas, and I could not help but think of Posole.

the ingredients

The first time I had Posole was actually in New York. Aunt Matoaka had made in for the yearly Vett Christmas party and I remember tasting it and I went back for seconds, and then for thirds!

There are some major differences between that Posole and Posole in New Mexico, mainly because of the ability to get certain ingredients. I also don’t think I’ve made Posole exactly the same each time, so I will talk about each ingredient and the options you have. In the end it tastes great, and if you are ever in New Mexico it is a local dish worth trying.

The first time I lived in New Mexico, I always ordered it out, but now I like my homemade!

I use pork, generally lean, or sometimes w/ a bit of fat that is flavorful. Somtimes I buy a bit of chicarrones (pork with more fat) for flavor. I just get what my local butcher has. Aunt Matoaka used ground pork in her Posole.

I like white onions, but you could use regular ole onions, or vidalia.

roasted new mexican mild green chiles

This is a Green Chile Posole, and here in New Mexico the fall harvest is brimming with Hatch Chile. This year I froze 30 pounds of roasted mild hatch chile and 15 pounds roasted medium-hot hatch chile, and I usually use a combination of the two in my Posole. I also sometimes put more than a cup and a half in my cooking pot – it just depends on who is eating it and how spicy I can make it. And, I have hot grade hatch chile that my husband uses to kick the heat up in his bowl, adding it when it’s served.

If you don’t have access to freshly or freshly frozen hatch chile, you can use store bought frozen – bueno brand or albuquerque tortilla company are two that I can think of off the top of my head. They have a mild, hot, and autumn roast blend that will do. There are also other brands out there that I have never tried. And I have not tried any of the canned varieties available here.

If you don’t live in the southwest, they only other substitute I can think of is anaheim chiles (which is in the same family but has a different taste, formerly known as New Mexico #6 – you would have to roast them – 6 to 10 chiles) or canned diced green chiles available in the mexican food isle. I would use no more than 1 or 2 four ounce canned green chiles.

nixtamale

Nixtamale. Ahhhhh. My favorite part of Posole next to the chile. I buy a 1 pound bad of frozen nixtamale and break the bag in half, freezing one half for future use, and using one half. Place in a colander and rinse with warm water until kernels are separated. Then place nixtamale in a dutch oven and cover  with at least 8 cups or more of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until kernels have popped (you may have to add more water along the way – stirring occasionally). Drain, and reserve some of the cooking liquid if you want to add a more pronouced corn flavor to your Posole.

By the way, nixtamale is a type of corn.

If you can’t get your hands on frozen nixtamale you can substitute it with #10 white hominy – 1 sixteen ounce can.

Lastly, the cilantro is not a traditional ingredient in Posole, and I don’t know where I got the idea to put it in, but you only need a very little. I would not recommend putting more than 2 tsp in the cooking pot.

posole, yum yum

POSOLE WITH GREEN CHILE

1/2 lb nixtamale, cooked (read above)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb lean pork, cut into small chunks

1 lg white onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cup roasted green chile, chopped

1 tsp salt (optional)

1/2 tsp mexican oregano

1 to 2 tsp cilantro, finely chopped

In dutch oven, heat vegetable oil and saute pork until lightly browned, then remove. Then saute onion and garlic until slightly softened, stir frequently and do not brown. Re-add the pork. Then pour chicken stock in.

Add green chiles, oregano, optional salt, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Then add cooked nixtamale (you may need to add up to 4 more cups of water or reserved cooking liquid from nixtamale) and the cilantro.

Heat thru to serve! Garnish with a few cilantro leaves if you wish.

Serves 4 to 6 people generously.